Wayne Tanaka, Educator and Community Leader

Wayne Tanaka was a Las Vegas principal when he remembers finding out a recent graduate decided not to go to college. Wayne tracked the young man down and said, “You lied to me.” The young man explained that he had problems at home, but Wayne wouldn’t hear it. He helped the man find a job in the school district and “kicked his butt every time he turned around,” Wayne said. The man eventually became a business teacher and athletic director. Wayne Tanaka joins us to talk about being a community leader in Las Vegas, his work with Asian Americans, and what 40 years as an educator teaches you about life and raising school kids.